Push hard and push fast!!!

As part of my job as the quality coordinator at Gunnison Valley Hospital, I run the CPR training center. CPR is always changing....new guidleines and recommendations. I think it has changed 3 times in the 6 years that I have been a nurse. Well the newest change, and the way that I teach CPR now is PUSH HARD AND PUSH FAST. The compression/ ventilation ratio is 30:2. The American Heart Association has proven just how important compressions (or pushing on the chest) is. For any of you that have performed CPR, you know how tiring it can be to do CPR this way!!! Thank goodness our adrenalin kicks in, or I don't know if I could make it.
Well, last week the AHA came out with yet another change. It is called "Hands only CPR." It is designed for the lay person---or any bystander. It teaches to just keep pushing hard and fast in the center of the chest.....about 100 pushes per minute. You do no ventilations (mouth to mouth) This type of CPR is only approved for adult victims as of now. The American Heart Association determined that many people will not perform CPR on a victim because either they are not sure if they remember how to do it correctly, or they are worried about giving mouth to mouth on someone they do not know incase of diseases, etc. This Hands on CPR has been proven effective in saving lives when it is done for the first few minutes until a more trained personnel can take over. Just remember to send someone to call 911 or call yourself then return to the victim and begin chest pushes. For any healthcare professionals or people certified in CPR that feel confident in their CPR skills, the AHA still recommends providing ventilations with your compressions.
I think that this hands on CPR is kind of neat. Now, I hope that none of you ever have to do CPR, but if you do and you don't remember how to do CPR or you are not trained, just push hard and fast on the person's chest......you might save their life!!!!